Event type: Music

Penny Lane Weekender 2026 this August

3 DAYS | 4 VENUES | BOSS MUSIC – 7TH, 8TH, 9TH AUGUST 2026

Penny Lane continues to sustain its global legacy with a 3-day music festival this August, spotlighting local and independent artists and bands. Returning for its fourth year, exactly 60 years on from The Beatles’ iconic LP Revolver, the festival will take over venues located on or around Liverpool’s iconic Penny Lane.

Penny Lane Weekender has grown into a smash success that continues to discover fresh new music and widen opportunities for emerging musicians from both Liverpool and the rest of the UK. The 2026 lineup promises an eclectic mix of Indie, Rock, Punk, Electronica, Dance and Pop – with this year’s headliner being British-Jamaican grime and UK-drill artist Reptile B.

Lovingly conceived in 2023 by Liverpool post-punk band Pleasure Island, the grassroots community festival was created to showcase Liverpool-based acts from the local community. Initially billed as a one-off event in the upstairs area of Dovedale Towers, a pub famous for being the residence of Freddie Mercury before his Queen glory days, the event immediately blossomed into a festival in its first year, taking on a second venue and a few extra days to accommodate the demand.

In the wake of increasing financial pressures – resulting in the loss of 155 grassroots music venues across the UK from 2024-2025 (Music Venue Trust) – the role that events like Penny Lane Weekender represent are even more crucial, dedicated to platforming new music and local talent. The festival continues to honour Penny Lane’s significance in Liverpool’s musical history, as a hotspot for budding musicians and bands.

Penny Lane Weekender 2026 Announced so far!

1st Wave:

Reptile B · Mumbles · The People Assembly · Paint Me In Colour · Jamesena and the Rabbits · Cheery · Tom Collins · Maybrick · Aggressive Soccer Moms (Swe) · Ellie Moon · Oranj Son · Holy Pictures

2nd Wave:

Broken Down Golf Cart · Drew Friel · The Empty Page · Pleasure Island · Pablo El Diablo · Bedroom Toys · EELS! EELS! EELS! · Maya Yenn · Deviant Order Chalkroom · European Taxis · S. Fearon · Victor Serge · Isis Moray · Quieting · Veve

This grassroots festival gives the opportunity for Liverpool bands and independent acts from further afield to showcase their talents to the local community of Penny Lane and the surrounding areas.

Now Playing: Motor Music with Rie and Pierre

Join international artists Rie Nakajima and Pierre Berthet to make your own moving sound sculpture out of metal, wood, shells, plastic materials and household items. We’ll play them together, improvise, watch and listen.

Bring along a household object from home to experiment with if you would like to!

For children and young people aged 8 – 14.

Tickets: £3 per child

Pop into any Library to book your spot.

1 parent or carer per child is welcome to join free of charge

Rie Nakajima is a sculptor based in London. She creates sounds using a combination of motorised devices and everyday objects in installations and performances. Her art is between sculpture and music with improvisation at the heart of it.

Pierre Berthet is a musician based in Belgium. He builds sculptural sound objects and installations made from steel, plastic, water, motors, vacuum cleaners and other items and has presented them in exhibitions and performances across music venues, festivals, galleries and other outdoor venues.

Part of Now Playing! A summer of sounds and music in Sefton Libraries

For The Culture: Hardcore Fundraiser for Care 4 Calais

For The Culture brings a stacked lineup of Merseyside hardcore to Future Yard on Thursday 27th August, raising money for Care4Calais—a volunteer-run charity supporting refugees and people seeking asylum across the UK, France and Belgium.

Featuring:

Boxcutter – Dark hardcore from L1 for the moshers!
Tear Away – Liverpool based heavy Clevo-esque inspired hardcore in the vein of Integrity, Ringworm, Terror and 108.
Confined – Scouse negative hardcore in the vein of Gulch and Nails.
Sure Shot – Raw Classic Hardcore from the heart of the 0151.
Suplex – First show from Liverpool youth drawing influence from big hitters Floorpunch and Chain of Strength.

The night showcases some of the most exciting bands in the local hardcore scene, coming together in support of an important cause.

Hardcore has long been rooted in community, solidarity and mutual support, and this fundraiser reflects those values. Every ticket sold will help Care4Calais continue its vital work providing practical support, campaigning for refugee rights, and standing alongside people seeking safety.

Join us for an evening of uncompromising live music, community, and collective action – all in support of a cause that matters!

Totally Tina

The Award-winning Tina Turner Spectacular! 

Come shake a tail feather with the UK’s supreme Tina – Justine Riddoch – and her talented cast. This breathtaking recreation of a live Tina Turner concert celebrates the Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll’s incredible songbook.

Early hits, including Proud Mary, River Deep – Mountain High and Nutbush City Limits, earned Tina a no-holds-barred reputation for fearsome live performances. While Eighties anthems We Don’t Need Another Hero, Simply the Best, What’s Love Got to Do With It, I Don’t Wanna Lose You, and When the Heartache is Over propelled the songstress to stadium concert stardom.

Supported by her fabulous band, and dazzling dancing girls in sequins, feathers and diamonds, Justine recreates those famed live performances.

The SUPREME Tina, a regular National Tribute Awards winner since 2013, Justine’s got the looks, she’s got the moves, she’s definitely got those legs, but most of all, she’s got THE voice.

Join an army of loyal fans for a truly authentic, fun-packed musical spectacular!  

 

National Tribute Music Awards Winner:

Best Choreography

Best Female Artist

Best Sound, Lighting and Production

Plus Lifetime Achievement Award

Wonder in the Street 2026

 

Join us in Church Square, St Helens for a day of outdoor entertainment the whole family will love!

All absolutely FREE and all absolutely WONDERFUL

Featuring:

Katumba Celebrate diversity, wellbeing and mindfulness with the huge infectious rhythms, bold visuals and serious crowd energy. You’ll be wowed by the performance then have the opportunity to interact and dance as you lose yourself in the rhythm with Liverpool based Katumba.

HUG by Levantes Dance TheatreHUG & HUG EXPERIENCE is a vibrant outdoor contemporary circus theatre performance and living installation that promises to engage audiences in a unique exploration of relationships – between people, objects and the environment that surrounds us.

Through a fusion of aerial dance, physical theatre and striking visuals, the audience is invited to rediscover the power of touch, connection and the simple act of a hug. HUG is supported by Without Walls and commissioned by Ensemble Festival, Brighton Festival, Stockton International Riverside Festival. Supported by Centre 151. Supported by 101 Outdoor Arts Creation Space.

 

Nick Cope: I’ve lost my Bobble Hat …again !

Nick Cope I’ve lost my Bobble Hat …again ! 

Nick has lost his Bobble hat ..again ! Come and join Nick Cope for a delightful family concert and help him find his beloved hat with the wobbly bobble ! A joyous fun filled hour featuring all your favourite Nick Cope hits and more.

Nick has been writing and recording his beautiful and totally unique songs for children and their families for over 10 years, he performs with his guitar and stunning animations to sell-out crowds all over the country.

His fanatical following of little and not so little fans has grown immeasurably over the years due to the phenomenal success of the CBeebies show ‘Nick Cope’s Popcast’

Nick has a magical way of reaching into people’s hearts, igniting children’s imagination in an organic, unpatronizing, educational and fun way.

With his charming songs and humour Nick engages, entertains, and enthrals all generations.

Nick’s live performances are legendary.

If you haven’t heard his songs or seen his shows before, come along and find out what you’ve been missing.

 

Running Time :60 Mins

Advisory Age 3+

 

‘Charming musical fun for children and parents alike from a musician with real song writing pedigree.’  ★★★★★ Radio Times

“..the Poptimistic Pied Piper, of discerningly musical toddlers.” The Guardian  

“.. In the pantheon of British songwriters, he’s become the Ray Davies for the pre-teen generation…If you’re going to trust your child’s musical education to anyone, make it Nick Cope.”  Steve Lamacq BBC Radio 6 Music

“Nick Cope is the indie-surrealist kids’ entertainer Robyn Hitchcock and Syd Barrett, foolishly distracted by cult status, never were.’  Stewart Lee

“Nick is a natural entertainer, clearly loves performing for children …. a brilliant show” ★★★★★  Edinburgh Reporter

 Nick Cope’s songs may be built for children, but the craft, charm and occasional existential zing mean they hit everyone just right……I’VE LOST MY BOBBLE HAT! 2025 delivered all the best elements of the Popcast and more while giving everyone surprisingly raucous reminder that great live music can still be innocent, silly and completely brilliant. Parents News UK 2025

“Funny, profound, educational, our children have talked about everything from gravity to grieving thanks to Nick Cope’s songs. Our family’s favourite singer /songwriter” Lucy Porter

Sound Objects: Rie Nakajima + Pierre Berthet / Rachael Gibson

Rie Nakajima & Pierre Berthet ‘Dead Plants and Living Objects’

Rachael Gibson ‘Into My Heart an Air That Kills’

Curated by Lola de la Mata and Kepla

We are very excited to host Brussels/London based duo ‘Dead Plants & Living Objects’ AKA Rie Nakajima and Pierre Berthet, and restage Rachael Gibson’s ‘Into My Heart an Air That Kills’ which received its world premiere by London Symphony Orchestra last autumn.

Acoustic shadows vibrate, touch and call out to one-another at ‘Sound Objects’.Offering immersive environments, both acts engage in small gestures to reveal an often overlooked sonic world. Reshaping the space and its air volume, we partake in their playful approach in embodied listening.

Rie Nakajima is a sculptor living in London, creating sounds using a combination of motorised devices and everyday objects for both performance and installation. She has presented her work internationally in art spaces ranging from Cafe Oto (London) to STUK (Leuven) and ShugoArts (Tokyo), as well as a major solo exhibition at IKON gallery, Birmingham in 2018. She is a member of O YAMA O, and frequently collaborates with artists such as David Toop, Max Eastley and Angharad Davies.

Pierre Berthet is a musician and installation artist from Belgium. Having studied percussion at Brussels Conservatory and Liege Conservatory with Fredric Rzewski, Berthet brings his music experience to sculpting sound objects and site specific installations, in music venues, galleries, outdoor spaces and more. As well as duetting with Rie, Pierre has worked extensively as a percussionist with renowned minimalist composers Arnold Dreyblatt and Tom Johnson.

Rachael Gibson is a Merseyside-based composer and guitarist, currently undertaking a PhD at the University of Liverpool. Her research explores how alternative notation practices and audio-visual technology can be utilised to examine the connection between the body, touch and performance. Recently, Rachael has participated in the LSO Soundhub Scheme (2024/25) and the Britten Pears Young Artist Programme (2023/24). Her work has been performed by ensembles including Riot Ensemble, Pixels Ensemble, and House of Bedlam.

Rie & Pierre will also be running family workshops at Crosby Library as part of At The Library’s Now Playing summer programme on Tuesday 4 August from 11am until 4pm. For more information and to book onto the sessions please visit atthelibrary.co.uk

 

Hejira: Celebrating Joni Mitchell

Hejira is an outstanding 7-piece band set up to celebrate and honour the masterpiece works of Joni Mitchell, mostly from the late ‘70s. 

Having released the albums The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Hejira, Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter and Mingus, Joni then toured briefly with a band formed from the crème de la crème of contemporaneous musicians (Metheny, Mays, Brecker, Pastorius and Alias). The tour was recorded, producing the much-lauded live album, Shadows And Light; it is from this album that the band Hejira is drawing the body of its repertoire. 

Comprising highly experienced, world class musicians, this band is fronted by the brilliant Hattie Whitehead who not only has – in her own way – assimilated the poise, power and beauty of Joni’s vocals, but also plays guitar with Joni’s stylistic mannerisms. Expect an evening of the great songs from Mitchell’s back catalogue, such as ‘Amelia’, ‘Help Me’, ‘A Case Of You’, ’Song For Sharon’, ‘Free Man in Paris’ and more.

 

Music, Technology and Interaction Centre

Part of the Yoko Ono Lennon Lunchtime Concert Series

More tickets for this concert will be released on Wednesday 7 October (four weeks before the concert). If it is currently showing as sold out, please check back on this page then. 

The Music, Technology and Interaction (MTI) research centre presents an experimental performance at The Tung Auditorium. 

Bringing together artists and researchers from across music, creative technologies, and digital media, the concert explores how performers and technologies interact in contemporary creative practice. Featuring works and performances by MTI members, the programme reflects the centre’s practice-based ethos through improvisation, audiovisual experimentation, live electronics, installations, and interdisciplinary collaboration.—-The Tung Auditorium Lunchtime Concert Series is supported by Yoko Ono Lennon via Spirit Foundations

Liverpool Mozart Orchestra: Beethoven’s Violin Concerto

Leopold Mozart thought that Parisian symphonies were “noisy” but in Mozart’s hands the style combines vigour with stirring tuttis and an exciting active bass line, starting the LMO’s new season at The Tung with a bang.  

Scottish composer Thea Musgrave (b.1928), wrote her orchestral work The Seasons based on paintings spanning five centuries, using the images as a metaphor for the cycles in the life of man,  creating an inventive and varied soundscape.

The concert finishes with Beethoven’s epic Violin Concerto.  After an inauspicious première it was later described on its revival by Joachim as the “greatest” German violin concerto and has remained an audience favourite ever since.

There will be a free pre-concert talk starting at 6.45pm that all ticket holders are invited to attend.

Promoted by Liverpool Mozart Orchestra